MANILA, Philippines — Thirty of the country’s biggest and most influential business groups have strongly condemned graft and corruption in the government, particularly at the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), local government units (LGUs) and Commission on Audit (COA).
“Our call therefore is not just to ‘moderate your greed.’ Our collective call to these corrupt officials is — PLEASE STOP! MAAWA NAMAN KAYO SA MGA NAGHIHIRAP NA TAONG BAYAN (Have mercy on the suffering people),” the groups said in a joint statement on Thursday.
The business groups pointed out that an independent body should carry out thorough investigations to prosecute corrupt officials, put them in jail and recover stolen funds.
“While we take note of the President admonishing the corrupt in government, we are concerned that the guilty among these officials will continue their merry way of robbing the people and filling their pockets, completely oblivious to the fact that they are betraying the public trust, committing a treasonous act against our people, and simply being unpatriotic and sinful,” they said.
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“Justice for the Filipino people, specially the poor, can only be achieved by successfully punishing the corrupt,” they added.
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Action plan
The business organizations proposed a six-point action plan.
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- Help identify those who have been guilty in the conspiracy to steal from the people;
- Participate in and support citizen and voter education campaigns to make the people aware of the evils of corruption and other bad governance practices so that citizens can discern and elect officials who have good anti-corruption records;
- Gather pieces of evidence of corruption against officials in the government, particularly at the DPWH, the LGUs and COA and their partners in crime in the private sector, so that appropriate criminal and civil cases can be filed against them;
- Blacklist the notorious businessmen and contractors who conspire with the corrupt politicians and officials, and never do business with these people;
- Lead the individual signing of the Integrity Pledge in which, among others, the leader and the company he/she leads vow not to bribe any politician or government official in exchange for project approvals or favors; and
- Encourage the financial sector, particularly the banks and the Anti-Money Laundering Council to expose the money launderers and their unexplained wealth within legal and regulatory boundaries.
Signatories
The 30 organizations that signed the collective statement (in alphabetical order) are:
1. Alliance of Women for Action towards Reform (AWARE)
2. Alyansa ng Nagkakaisang Mamamayan (ANIM)
3. Association of CPAs for Sustainability Inc. (ACPAFSI)
4. Brotherhood of Christian Businessmen and Professionals (BCBP)
5. Cebu Business Club (CBC)
6. Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI)
7. Cebu Leads Foundation (CLF)
8. Chamber of Commerce of the Philippine Islands (CCPI)
9. Connected Women
10. Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP)
11. Federation of Philippine Industries (FPI)
12. Filipina CEO Circle (FCC)
13. Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines (FINEX)
14. FinTech Alliance Philippines
15. Green EDSA Movement (GEM)
16. Iloilo Economic Development Foundation, Inc. (ILED)
17. Institute for Solidarity in Asia (ISA)
18. Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD)
19. Justice Reform Initiative (JRI)
20. Management Association of the Philippines (MAP)
21. Military and Uniformed Personnel for United Philippines (MUP)
22. Nextgen Organization of Women Corporate Directors (NOWCD)
23. People Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP)
24. Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI)
25. Philippine Exporters Confederation, Inc. (PHILEXPORT)
26. Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA)
27. Philippine Women’s Economic Network (PHILWEN)
28. Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines Foundation, Inc. (SEIPI)
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29. Shareholders’ Association of the Philippines (SHAREPHIL)
30. Women’s Business Council Philippines (WBCP) /dda
